Nineve's Dispair
by SwordOfBlackRoses
Summary: Nineve found herself lying on a small island, only to flag down Link of Outset Island. She had no idea her young life would be twisted with Link's as well. -PG for disturbing moments (for those of you with decent imaginations)-
1. Tragedy

            She sprinted through the town, her eyes half open, scanning the uproar of people quickly gathering their things and setting off on small boats, only to be overturned by the heavy winds. She shielded her eyes and ducked as a large wooden board flew past her and hit a woman in the back, knocking her down roughly. 

            "MAMA!!!!!" She cried out into the storm. "DADDA!!!!!!" She screamed as loud as she could. She heard evil cackling behind her, and spun around, only to see Cyclos hovering only a few feet away, the land behind the giant cyclone in a wreck.

            "You next, little girl!" He cackled, waving his arms in a circular motion, making the cyclone even larger and faster than it had been. 

            "BROOOOOOOTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She screeched at the top of her lungs as she was sucked up into the cyclone, her brown pigtails flailing every which way, and was flung with such force, she passed out.

            Seagulls cawed, gathering around something that lay on the shore of a small and round island.

            The girl twitched as a seagull pecked at her torn sleeve, hungrily. She blinked in the sun, and then suddenly began coughing up water. Once she had coughed up the lot of it, she sat up slowly and uneasily. Her bones felt bruised, all her muscles ached, and every inch of her skin stung as though she had just been pinpricked ceaselessly for hours. With great effort, she stood up and took a look around, coughing slightly every so often.

            She nearly fell over when she spotted many waterlogged bodies on the northeast side of the island she had ended up on, a few surrounded by dark red water. Those bodies that were not drenched in red water were a very pale blue color and bloated from having saturated.

            Moving towards the stretch of lifeless bodies, her leg hit something soggy feeling, which made her jump. She glanced down at whatever it was and saw a very bloated severed hand, making her scream at the top of her lungs. She turned away from the frightful seen when her stomach gave an almighty lurch, making her vomit what was left in her stomach, mostly stomach acid. Her eyes darted around the deserted island while she wiped her mouth, her eyes tearing up in fright. She turned back to look at the bodies once more, when a glint caught her eye. She looked down, back at the severed hand, and noticed the ring on the second from the left finger. Her stomach lurched again. It was her mother's wedding ring…

            Tears welling up in her eyes even heavier, she staggered up the side of the island towards the middle, and gave way in sobs. She put her hands on her head and noticed that her pigtails had been let loose, and her hair was flying desperately, as if trying to pluck itself from her head. She looked up, still crying, as the wind changed the opposite direction abruptly. She stopped crying, wondering what had made such a change to the current of air. A small red dot appeared on the horizon line, becoming larger with each second. 

            Waving her arms wildly as though she were flagging down an airplane, she ran up as far as she could to that side of the island without diving into the water and continued to wave her arms. "OVER HERE! HELP! HELP ME!!! PLEASE!! OVER HERE!! YOU!! PLEASE COME HERE!!!!" She wheezed, her arms feeling as though they were going to fall off any second, but she didn't care. She was determined to get whoever that was to notice her. 

            After a few minutes, the thing came within focus, appearing to be a small red boat, it's only inhabitant being a short green figure. Finally they came within voice range.

            "Thank the Goddesses!!!" The girl said, falling to her knees as the boat landed on the side of the island beside her.

            The boy who had been riding it, hopped off hastily and put one arm under hers, helping her up, "Are you alright?!" He asked in concerned voice, staring at her ragged clothing.

            "It was awful! Cyclos…I couldn't find…then I was…my parents…woke up…bodies everywhere…" She said between sobs, after collapsing on the boy's shoulder. 

            "Whoa, whoa…slow down…what happened? What about Cyclos?" The boy asked, helping her regain composure. 

            She sniffled a few times, and then pointed to the other side of the island. They both walked to the other side, the boy stopping immediately when his widening eyes met the fleshy mess. "Cyclos…came. He came to our village of Tor. He ruined everything…killed everyone…my family…" The girl broke down into sobs once more.

            The boy knelt beside her and put a comforting arm around her. "Is this the way to your village? I was headed that way…if you'd like to go."

            The girl nodded and smiled, wiping her eyes. "Yes…please. Maybe there are still some survivors." She stood up leisurely, feeling a considerable amount happier. "My name is Nineve. What's yours?" 


	2. Only a Dream

Nineve's eyes popped open, waking from the dream world. She tried to recall the person in her dream…but it was all a red, green, and yellow blur. Someone was riding on a yellow boat…or was it red? Maybe that was the thing that was green…someone jumped off…did he have red hair? Or maybe it was blonde…She shook her head vigorously, then shrugged the dream off and watched the sun set. Soon everyone was piling inside his or her homes in the village of Windfall. 

Nineve glanced around her, making sure no one was there before running up the hill in Windfall and towards the safe. She glanced around once more, and then tried as hard as she could to remember the safe lock. 'Numbers…' She thought. 'Oh yes!' she remembered, and then twisted the lock _22190._

           Reaching inside, she grabbed a handful of the imported rare flowers, then closed the safe and locked it once more. 'These will sell for a fair amount…' She thought to herself, and turned around. Jumping at least five or six inches from the ground, she was startled to see a stern looking blonde haired boy standing in front of her, blocking her way. 

           "Hey, stealing is illegal." He said flatly to her face.

           "So is wearing a sword in this village!" She retorted, noticing the glimmer of his sword hilt in the moonlight.

           "I never use it here…only when I need to. Stealing is bad." He said as if teaching a five year old.

           Nineve rolled her eyes and suddenly forced the boy to the ground. She hopped up and nimbly jumped over him, sprinting down towards the ocean waves. Quickly stuffing the rare flowers into the pockets of her ragged filthy dress, she leapt into the water, swimming as fast as possible, the boy gaining behind her. Soon she found herself struggling under the water, being pushed down by the boy behind her. He let her up only when she started to look faint. 

           Nineve quickly swam to the shore and collapsed, her muscles aching from the struggle. She stuffed her hands into her pockets, only to find that the flowers had passed from them at some point while she was swimming. "You!" She bellowed, passing a death glare to the boy who was steadily making his way towards the shore. "You made me lose my flowers!! I could have sold those!" 

           "What makes you think those are _your_ flowers?" He said calmly, clearly keeping a close eye on her in case she decided to leap up and make a run for it. 

           "Finders keepers." Nineve said stubbornly, continuing to give him a deep death glare.

           Nineve twitched a little as the boy drew his sword from his sheath, then muttered slowly, "Why, exactly, did you do that?" He asked.

           "I was hungry! I was going to sell them! Got to steal to eat, got to eat to live, you know?!" She informed him angrily.

           "If that's all you wanted, why didn't you just ask me for something?!" He asked, moving closer, his sword in plain view.

           "Well, you looked like you were about to kill me. I didn't think I could have just put down the flowers and said, "Hey, can you give me some money?" now could I have?" Nineve remarked roughly. "I depend on myself, thank you." She looked away.

           She glanced up as a flask of milk was tossed to her feet, as well as a loaf of bread to follow, looking rather soggy. "What's this?!" She asked.

           "Food. What does it look like?" He asked, sheathing his sword finally. 

           "Well I _know_ that! But I told you, I depend on myself…and no one else."

           "Take it. I don't want it." The boy said, turning so his back was visible to her.

           "Neither do I. I can help myself, thank you." Nineve said stubbornly, "And I would have tonight if you had just let me go."

           "Well, suit yourself. Go hungry…I don't care." He said shortly, picking up his food and walking slowly away, as if expecting her to call him back.

           Nineve knew this, but also had a feeling that she wanted to…she folded her arms and glanced up at the boy, then tapped her foot a few times. "Well…well…HEY You!" She said loudly, picking up a pebble and throwing it at the back of the boy's head, making him stop. "You owe me for making me lose my flowers!!!" 

           The boy chuckled slowly and shortly, then turned back to face Nineve, who had turned the other way, pretending as if she had never said anything.

           Nineve turned her head halfway so she could see the boy from the corner of her eye. "What are you…laughing about…?" She asked, unfolding her arms.

           "What do you think I'm laughing about?" The boy asked, chuckling a little more. 

           Nineve frowned and stared at the ground some more.

           "I don't turn down an offer when it's given to me, and I don't want it when it's gone." He said, informing her of his ways. 

           Nineve turned around, her eyes in slits, sneering at him. "Fine! Go! Leave! Take your riches and leave this place! I remember what it was like being rich…those days are over…and I think I've learned a lot by being poor…" She said, making herself sound as pitiful as possible. 

           "Well, since you are pretty, I'll make an exception…but only for now. Later, you won't be so lucky." He said, as if he were letting her go free from a battle he was about to win. He placed the food at his own feet, then turned and began to walk off towards a small hill beside the sea. 

           Nineve glanced from the boy, to the food, to the boy again, then folded her arms and looked sideways, thinking, 'He said I'm pretty? Even when I'm in rags? But why…?' seeing as to how she thought he was about to kill her a minute or so ago, that was a good enough question for her. She looked up at the boy again and tried to think of something to throw at him, "You know…you know, you're just leaving because…because…um…" She thought for a moment, trying to make some sense. "Because you're a coward! Ya! That's right! A coward!!!!!!" she yelled, since he was headed over the small hill towards the docks, not even remembering that she'd told him to leave in the first place.        

           The boy turned around and gave Nineve a look that was clearly stating 'I know what you're up to.', then turned back in the direction he was going before, but instead of walking further, he sat down on the hill he had been walking over. 

           Nineve decided to torment him even further. "You've probably got some warm home to go home to! Some wonderful cheery fire under the mantel! Something like that!!!! Someone waiting your return! Someone who misses you! Well…" She shortened off, trying to think of something to make known her self-pity. "Well...I…I don't! So…" She tried to think of what that had to do with him being a coward like she had commented before. "Um…you're just…too…" she twitched, already confusing herself, and sat down beside the food and stared at it, deciding to shut up.

            The boy didn't turn his head, but spoke so Nineve could hear him. "Come here. I need to ask you something…"


	3. Keeping up a Reputation

Nineve's heart skipped a beat as he said this. She looked up and approached the boy cautiously, as though he would stab her any second. She sat down beside him and pulled her knees close to her chest, placing her chin on them. "What?" Nineve asked.

           The boy turned his head slightly and said in a quiet and soothing voice, "I just wanted to know…what is your name?" 

           Nineve looked up and made eye contact with him, without really meaning to, then quickly looked back at the ground. "My name? My name is Nineve…what's your name?" 

           The boy looked out into the night sky and replied in a quiet voice, "Oh…My name is…Link…" 

           "Link…" Nineve repeated, the name sounding so interesting. She realized she shouldn't act so soft, so she pointed to the red thing bobbing up and down beside the dock. "Is that _your_ boat?" She asked in a confident and independent – yet mocking tone.

           "Well, not really mine…well, I guess he is…but…that boat is alive…He saved my life once, and he's been following and helping me around since." Link said, smiling over at the boat.

           Nineve stood up and put her hands on her hips. "A talking boat?" She asked as if he were an adult with a teething toy. 

           "Yes, why not?" Link asked.

           Nineve turned her head away from Link and folded her arms. "Huh! Well…I just…thought it was a little odd, that's all. Yes, that's all!!" She walked over to the food and picked up the bottle, and the loaf of bread. "Well, I'm gonna go home…" She said, almost sullenly, then walked towards the hill to retrace her steps from when she went to the safe.  

           "Home?" Link looked at her questioningly. 

           "…" Nineve stopped and looked back at him. "Not exactly home…but…" She snapped her head back to the front of her view and snorted. "It doesn't matter! What does it matter to you??" She said, whether or not meaning to sound overly obnoxious, she filled the spot. 

           Link looked back up at the sky and said in the same soothing voice, but with a hint of compassion included, "Well, I just thought…maybe…if you didn't have anywhere else to go…" He hesitated. "You could…come with me for a while." He said finally.

           Nineve's eyes widened as she turned back to look at him, something about his eyes…the stars reflected so clearly in them. "'er…I…" She parted her gaze with those beautiful eyes, then added a little sternness to her voice, "Where are you headed?"

           "Oh, I dunno. Like I always say, "Wherever the wind may take me."" He said innocently, still gazing at the stars.

           "I suppose so…but…why? I'm just a poor stranger…I'll be a burden if nothing else." Nineve said, already feeling like she'd placed a load on his chest.

           "No, it's quite alright…I have a feeling you have a completely different side to you, and I'm prepared to try and find it…" He said, finally smiling warmly over at her.

           Nineve was dumbstruck for a short moment, but then got a firm look on her face and folded her arms, "I have completely no idea what you're talking about!! Different side…hmmf!" She said as though he were telling her he knew she had wings and horns. 

           Link shook his head, "Well, let's spend the night here. We'll leave in the morning." He said, closing the conversation, not giving Nineve a chance to clearly make up her mind.

           Nineve finally gave in after a short silence and said, "I'd rather not show my face…inside the inn…" 

           "What? You haven't stolen something from there too, have you?" Link asked, forcing her to make eye contact, and made Nineve feel as if he were staring deep down into her soul, fishing out her deepest secrets. 

           Nineve shook her head quickly, almost too quickly, and said in a wannabe normal voice, "Of course not!!" She searched for yet another excuse. "Going from so rich to so poor is a little embarrassing, if you know what I mean…" She said.

           Link didn't know her past, but hearing this gave him a pretty good idea, also seeing that she had no mother and father, it wasn't hard to put two and two together. "Well, actually, I'd rather stay out here in this beautiful weather." Link said, making her feel more comfortable, even though he knew that her excuse wasn't the truest answer she could've given him.          

           Nineve smiled and sighed, relief washing over her that he didn't question her deeper. "Good! Great!" She said.

           Link stood up and said in a tired voice, "Well, I'm going to go collect some fire wood. You can come if you want, or you can stay here…I don't really care." 

           "Firewood from where? The only place you can find firewood is if you buy it from one of the shops or tear a few branches off a tree…there isn't any spare lying around but the driftwood, and that's soaked in water, and would take forever to burn." She said (Slight memories of her dream returning to her of the waterlogged humans), jumping up and taking hold of a branch above her. She swung herself up on top of it and looked down. 

           "Oh…I haven't been around here too much. I guess I could go buy some." He suggested. 

           Nineve took hold of a nearby branch that looked easy to tear, and began ripping at it. "That stuff is really expensive." She finally got the branch off and tossed it down.  "You could use that, but it'll take a little longer to start burning since it's not pre-dried like the stuff in the shops." She said, tossing another down.

           "Hmm…you seem to be pretty smart." Link remarked, walking around and collecting the wood Nineve had thrown, and placed it into a neat little pile, then started placing large rocks around it from the beach.

           "Well, living in poverty gains you experience; like I said, I think I've become smarter ever since I lost the riches." Nineve said, tearing down one last branch, then she leapt from the tree. She bent her knees to cushion the fall, and landed beside Link, who looked slightly surprised as if it were raining girls. 

           Link started the fire, slowly but surely the damp wood dried under the heat and (with a lot of smoke) began to burn happily. He sat down on one side, while Nineve positioned herself opposite him. 

        "So do you have a preferred destination for tomorrow?" She asked, yawning. She sat laid herself down and got into a comfortable position.

        "Oh, not really…" Link said, watching Nineve. "Do you need some bedding or something? I have some blankets in the boat." 

        "I doubt it. I've gotten used to the ground, plus it should be pretty warm tonight. Not to mention the fire…" Nineve said.

        "Not even a pillow?" Link asked, feeling a little concerned. 

        "No, that's alright, but thank you anyway." Nineve turned so her back was visible to Link, then began to wonder why Link seemed so worried.

        "Alright…just wake me up if you need anything, okay?" He told her. "Well…good night." 

            Nineve shut her eyes without responding, and fell asleep shortly after.


End file.
